[Three Kingdoms] Carnival

In August Bingchen, there was zero rain.The pattering autumn rain slipped from the eaves, disturbing everyone's mind.No one likes this kind of sticky weather, especially after the news that the flood in Jingzhou has not receded for days.

But for half an hour, the sound of rain was the only sound in this hall.

The position of Sima Yi's station is not conspicuous, it is very suitable for observing the situation at this time.Sitting upright in front of everyone is Liu Xie who has restored the emperor's uniform.After the epidemic slowed down, Cao Pi planned to send someone to send Liu Xie and Cao Jie back to Xudu immediately, but before he could leave, news of Jingzhou's fall came.Compared with Xudu, which is adjacent to Wanluo, Yecheng is naturally more secure, so Liu Xie and Cao Jie stayed in Yecheng openly and honestly with the reason of understanding the people's sentiments.At this time, although Liu Xie was in the main case, he did not sit on the seat in the center, but slightly to the right, deliberately leaving the seat in the center empty.The king of a country retreated to the side. This scene is very strange, but Liu Xie has been calm since then, drinking tea peacefully. exit.

As for the people standing in the hall, apart from the few sons of the Cao family, they are the officials of the state of Wei.The military generals were headed by the former general Xiahou Dun, and the civil servants were headed by Xiangguo Zhongyou. Jia Xu had said that he was sick for many days and did not care about his affairs, so naturally he was not present today.Sima Yi looked around secretly, some people had serious expressions, some frowned, and some were whispering to the people around them by taking advantage of their proximity.

That day when the king of Wei entered the city, he rode his horse and whipped his whip, his majestic posture remained the same, but Guo Jia was not with him.Afterwards, someone saw that Cang Zhu, who is now the Imperial Physician, was rushed into Wei Wang's mansion and did not leave until late at night.On the second day, there were rumors in the city that on the way back to Ye, Guo Jia's old illness relapsed, which extended the original ten-day journey to more than 20 days.Today's discussion, Cao Cao and Guo Jia have not arrived, which obviously adds a bit of credibility to the rumors.It must be the same thing that those people whispered about.

But according to Sima Yi, this matter will never be as simple as the rumors say.The military situation is urgent, even if Guo Jia is really seriously ill, Cao Cao can let him go slowly and go back to Ye quickly.They are not the kind of people who love their sons and daughters. When the state affairs are at the top of their heads, they will not frown at life and death, let alone a minor illness.But today is even more strange, no matter how much Cao Cao loves Guo Jia, it is absolutely impossible for him to leave the Holy One and all the officials here for someone, unless——

"The king of Wei is here!"

The voice of the guard at the door interrupted Sima Yi's thoughts.He and the people around him adjusted their clothes and restrained their faces, waiting for Cao Cao's arrival.

"The ministers are waiting to see the king of Wei."

"Chen Cao Cao sees Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty, please, don't be too polite." Liu Xie sat upright, without any displeasure on Cao Cao's late arrival, "I'm bothering you, so please don't take offense to me, King Wei."

"Your Majesty's words are serious, and I am ashamed to take it."

After finishing speaking, Cao Cao got up and walked to the main case and sat down, but moved a little to the left, leaving a central seat.The middle one is the most respected, while the Han Dynasty still favors the right. The Emperor Gu is on the right and the king is on the left. Although it is strange, it does not violate the system.

Guo Jia also took advantage of this time to sneak in among the officials, and he looked a little sicker than before.Everyone else pretended to be blind, but Chen Qun glared at him.

"Long text, Jia..."

"Shut up and stand."

"Yes!"

"puff."

A chuckle came from nowhere.Sima Yi secretly looked around, only to see Zhong Yao, who was in the lead, coughed a few times, wondering if he was also feeling unwell.

These are just small episodes.The situation in Jingzhou was critical, and not long after, everyone's expressions became serious again.

"This morning's military report, five days ago, Xiangyang had been breached. Fortunately, there was not much food and grass left in the city. Except for the death of the defender Lu Chang, the rest of the soldiers went to Fancheng or wandered around. The enemy did not receive much supplies. On the contrary, In order to capture Xiangyang, the enemy also suffered heavy casualties, and the offensive against Fancheng has also weakened a lot."

At that time, it was initially decided in Jingzhou that all the surplus grain, except for the own use of the counties and counties, should be transported to the Xiangyang grain depot in the north of Jingzhou for storage.Although Liu Bei has conquered most of Jingzhou's cities, most of the military rations used have to be transported from Yizhou.Feeding grain for thousands of miles, seven out of ten, in order to gain land and even military food, at any cost, Liu Bei is determined to capture Xiangyang and control the granary.Therefore, when Yuban Pangde's Seventh Army was in dire straits and there was no hope of rescue in Xiangyang, Lu Chang sent letters to Fancheng on the one hand, and on the other hand began to organize soldiers to burn food. He transferred to the granary.When Xiangyang City was broken and Liu Bei led his army to rush to the granary in the city, tens of thousands of shi of grain had been burned to ashes.The furious enemy army fought with the soldiers holding the torches. At dawn on the second day, the flames were still raging, and blood flowed in the city like rivers.

In any case, in the current situation, this is good news.

"Is there any news about Yu Jin and Pang De?"

"Reporting to the King of Wei, according to reports from the spies sent to Liu Bei's army, after Liu Bei besieged the reinforcements for many days, he was forced to attack Xiangyang due to lack of food, leaving only a few thousand people to continue shooting arrows from the big ship to the shore. So far, no news of the two generals surrendering to the enemy or dying in battle has reached the army."

This is another piece of good news.Originally, the Seventh Army was flooded, and everyone thought that Yu Jin Pang De was in danger, but they didn't expect to be able to survive until today.Now that the rainy season is more than half over, if they can last until the day when the Han River recedes, this dead move can instantly become a fatal blow to the enemy's throat.

"King of Wei," Zhong Yao said at this time, "No matter what the two generals are now, if Liu Bei breaks Xiangyang and takes advantage of the victory to capture Fancheng, Jingzhou will completely fall into the hands of the enemy. I think, For the current plan, we should order the generals to garrison Luoyang with heavy troops as soon as possible, and rescue Fancheng according to the situation."

"Xiangguo's words are very true." Zhong Yao was taken aback by Xia Houdun's sudden answer, and lost the opportunity, "The final general is willing to take on this task, and I ask the King of Wei for permission!"

Right now, the situation in Xiangfan is complicated and changing rapidly, but Yecheng is far away in Jizhou, and the military report will delay too much time.So now there is an urgent need for someone who has the trust of Cao Cao and can control the overall situation to sit in Luoyang and mobilize soldiers before the battle.Zhong Yao has been running Guanzhong for several years, and he is very good at these things.He wanted to plead with Cao Cao, but he didn't want Xiahou Dun to take the lead.

It doesn't matter.he thought.This matter is of great importance, and it is impossible to send only one person to Luoyang.It is also a safe arrangement for General Xiahou to be the main general, with him assisting from the side, plus a few generals and scholars.

So, when Xiahoudun finished speaking, he just wanted to speak——

"I have already made a decision on this matter." Cao Cao said in a deep voice, "I have decided to personally lead the troops to Luoyang."

"King Wei!" There was an exclamation from the crowd, and even Liu Xie showed a little surprised expression.

Chen Qun glanced at Guo Jia, who was always smiling and silent. Doubt flashed in his eyes, and he was filled with indescribable complex emotions.

"Meng De, Liu Bei, I don't need to work on you at all, Dun will go and chop off his head—"

"General Xiahou is right. The king of Wei came to Luoyang in person, and Liu Bei, a small thief, will be hard to stop the king's division. You think that this plan is feasible."

"Zhong Xiangguo?!"

Xiahou Dun looked at Zhong Yao, who suddenly turned his back, in surprise, but the latter avoided his gaze.

The situation in Xiangfan is unpredictable, and all parties are ready to move. Therefore, those who sit in Luoyang must first have sufficient power to deter them, second, they must have extraordinary military strategies, and third, they must have sufficient trust from Cao Cao.The most suitable candidate who can meet these three conditions, the best candidate, is Cao Cao himself.

But in many cases, the best choice cannot be said, because there are always other unspeakable concerns.And the moment Cao Cao said it himself, it showed that even though he had other concerns, he decided to give it a go.

Thinking of Guo Jia who had been extremely quiet from the beginning to the end, Zhong Yao secretly sighed.

Once the candidate for the chief general is determined, the rest of the matter of ordering troops and transferring generals will be much easier.Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan and other generals will naturally go with Cao Cao. As for Yecheng, as before, the elder son Cao Pi will supervise the country, and the prime minister Zhong Yao will assist and supervise the northern and southern armies in case of emergency.

"Now Xu is uneasy, please Your Majesty and Your Highness to stay in Ye City temporarily, and wait for the minister to return from the expedition, and then send the two statues back to the imperial capital."

"National affairs are the most important thing, I can tell the difference, King Wei can rest assured."

"Zi Huan stay here, the rest of you should go away."

Everyone saluted and kowtowed, and after Liu Xie left, they got up in twos and threes and walked outside the house.

"Zhong Da."

Sima Yi turned his head subconsciously, but only saw Cao Pi going to the inner room, that is, Cao Cao's red forehead.

"Zhongda?"

Only then did he realize that the person calling him was Guo Jia.

"What's the matter, Mr. Guo?"

"Tsk, I haven't seen you for a few years, why is Zhong Da so unfamiliar with Jia?"

"Yi doesn't know what Mister means."

He actually knew that Guo Jia was referring to the word "Mr."But if he was asked to call him "Feng Xiao" like other people who were acquainted with Guo Jia, let alone anything else, he would feel awkward.Speaking of which, on the issue of "how to call Guo Jia", not only him, but many officials in Yecheng have worried.Cao Cao was promoted to the king of Wei, and all the officials in Yecheng were promoted to the post of Wei, but Guo Jia was not mentioned.Later, because he traveled with Cao Cao, the original official position was given to others, and the title was also written to his only son Guo Yi.No official, no job, no party, no clan, but it can't be seen as a commoner. It really makes a group of new officials who are well-versed in the world feel sad.In the end, the title of "Mr." is the only title that does not involve official titles but also appears to be respectful.

Sima Yi still didn't understand what Guo Jia was planning on this matter.Once the emperor and the courtiers, Guo Jiada can rely on Cao Cao's affection and don't care about Juelu today, but what about after Cao Cao's hundred years?How should he deal with himself?

What Guo Jia did was as if he had never thought about the way out.

Thinking of Cao Cao's flushed forehead just now, Sima Yi felt uneasy, but Guo Jia stopped him first.

"Go out first, Jia will talk to you slowly."

Sima Yi looked at the almost empty room and nodded.It's really not a good place to talk.

The drizzle had stopped for a long time outside.The sun shines through the white clouds, and the gentle breeze blows golden waves between the concave and convex puddles.Guo Jia walked very slowly, so slow that Sima Yi felt that after the rain, the days of strolling in the courtyard were peaceful.They walked through the central courtyard, walked through corridors and pavilions, and finally stopped at a small pavilion.

"Three years ago in Yecheng, my lord had a headache attack. Yuanhua happened to be in Yecheng, so Jia invited him to treat my lord. The result of the diagnosis and treatment was that the root of my lord's disease was already deep. Within, there will be a deadline."

Sima Yi was startled.Both he and Guo Jia knew that Hua Tuo had contracted an illness and died not long ago.

"If it is Cangzhu, can it be done?"

"Cang Zhu came to the mansion to see it the day before yesterday. The risk of craniotomy is too great. Even if it is Yuanhua, it is only five-point certainty, let alone him. He also told Jia that if he recuperates quietly, the master still has half a year."

Sima Yi's heart was shocked.Now that Jingzhou affairs are imminent, Cao Cao must go to Luoyang, how can he take good care of him.Sure enough, any rumors in the city, any recurrence of old diseases, are all means to divert attention.The sick person was never Guo Jia, but Cao Cao.

"If you go from Zihuan to Luoyang—"

"The people in Yecheng are unstable now, and the lord's illness comes and goes again and again. If the illness is so serious that he can't handle it, but the son and the army are far away from the capital, there will inevitably be 'chaos' in Yecheng."

"...What about the other sons?"

"Where profits follow, suspicions will arise. Zhongda, do you dare to bet?"

Sima Yi was silent.In order to fight for the supreme position, there are too many examples of brothers and sisters fighting each other, and there is no room for him to have the slightest fluke and naivety.What's more, Liu Xie and the pregnant Cao Jie were watching Yecheng.

According to what was said at the beginning of the discussion just now, Xiahou Dun will be appointed as Cao Cao to sit in Luoyang... I am afraid it will not work.Although Xiahoudun enjoys a lot of prestige in the army, for those Jingzhou people, only the people of the Cao family can really deter them.If by...

He glanced up inadvertently, and just saw the empty branches hanging down outside the pavilion, just interweaving a gap, allowing him to see Cao Cao and Cao Pi sitting opposite each other in the study.I saw Cao Pi's brows were tightly frowned, and he muttered in a low voice, as if he was thinking about something.And Cao Cao...

He turned around abruptly.Sure enough, Guo Jia, like Cao Cao, looked at him with a faint smile, neither happy nor sad.

He suddenly realized that when Guo Jia told him these things, he was never asking him for a solution.With Guo Jia's intellect, he must have thought about all possible turning points long ago, and they had all been vetoed by him before they were spoken out.Every road, whether it is man-made or destiny, is blocked to death, and the only one left is to let Cao Cao go to Luoyang, where his condition worsens and he never returns.

"These days, Jia often thinks of Wuhuan." Guo Jia let out a long breath, "Now Jia finally understands how much I caused my lord a headache." At the end of the sentence, he blinked his eyes, and even took on a joking tone.

But Sima Yi couldn't laugh.He looked at Guo Jia deeply, carefully, inch by inch, to see if Guo Jia's hand holding the teacup was trembling secretly, to see if there was any hint of a forced smile on his face.But no, nothing.

why?

Why are you so calm?

In Guo Jia's clear mirror-like eyes, Sima Yi clearly saw the confusion in his own eyes.He doesn't understand, really doesn't understand, why Guo Jia can still smile so lightly at this moment, and why this lightly smile is even clearer than the orchestral mourning music he is used to hearing in the past few months It made his heart tremble, full of sadness.

But he couldn't ask.He was afraid of saying a single word, so he revealed his heart first.

"In the future, Jia will go to Wancheng first. Before Liu Beixin goes to Xiangyang, he will move the main force northward and transport the grain and grass from Wancheng to Fancheng. Jia called you to say... Zhongda, Zhongda ?”

"Huh?" Sima Yi quickly regained his composure.

"You can't be—" Guo Jia moved closer.

"No!" Sima Yi firmly denied it.No matter what Guo Jia wanted to say just now, he would never admit it, especially because he would worry about it for Guo Jia.

"That's good." A flash of clarity crossed Guo Jia's eyes, but he didn't point it out, "Jia wanted to say that after the army went out this time, Yecheng might not be as peaceful as it was a few years ago. The son is still young, In order to ensure the stability of Yecheng, there are some matters that need you to help him make decisions."

"...Yi would like to obey what Mr. said."

"It's coming again." Guo Jia pretended to be angry, "Did Jia not tell you that your pretended humility will not have the effect of showing weakness to the enemy at all. It will only-" He said, suddenly Standing up and raising his hand, before Sima Yi could react, he had already kneaded the neat bun into a mess.

"You!" Sima Yi just wanted to get angry, but happened to meet Guo Jiaming's eyes again, and for some reason, he suddenly lost his temper.

"You...be careful in everything, especially Zhuge Kongming."

"Jia went for him." Guo Jia said, "If that fox stayed in Yizhou as the military newspaper said, and didn't join the army, then everything would be much easier."

"And what if he's in the army?"

"Then we have to take some risks." Guo Jia blinked, and didn't seem to be too worried.However, Sima Yi is so familiar with Guo Jia's routines that even if it is a life-threatening situation, he can speak lightly.In the future, Guo Jia will probably treat him as the child he was back then, ruffle his hair a little more, and make some jokes about "just with Zhongda's heart, Jia will come back soon".

But this time, he waited for a long time, but nothing happened.He looked up and saw Guo Jia standing with his hands behind his back, looking towards the window in the study where the empty branches intersect.In the room, Cao Cao obviously said something to Cao Pi. Cao Pi's eyes were red, he bit his lower lip, and nodded heavily.

"This wonderful world will be left to you."

————————————————————

What is Merry?

In the long years that followed, Sima Yi often heard people talking about these two words.At this time, if you are called a famous person in the world, you must have wide sleeves, fold a fan, indulge in alcohol;If it is a weak and sickly bone that is still born, and it is talking about the insatiable Xuan, then it is even more highly respected. Today, it is full of orchids and jade trees, and tomorrow it will be like the sun and the moon in the bosom, its appearance is as bright as a crescent moon, and its poetry is like spring algae. He is really the unparalleled national scholar praised by everyone.

Whenever he sees young scholars in the capital beckoning to friends, chatting with each other, scoffing at officials as vulgar affairs, and ridiculing Zhongni as ordinary things, he often thinks of his youth.People at that time, if they talked about romance, they were also wide-sleeved folding fans, addicted to alcohol, born with one soul and two souls in their bones, and when they got sick, they were comparable to Xizi holding his heart.But at the same time, they also talked about the battlefield, about life and death, about generals with great horses and swords, and about heroes' aspirations.The romantic life at that time was a confidant who made a hundred deaths without regrets, a thousand people who went for the country and family, a head that was still held high before a fateful tragedy, and a life to death after facing the irreversible end.

At that time, they not only talked about romance, but also strength of character, not only celebrities, but also heroes.

But when he suddenly felt that his heart was full of enthusiasm and blood was flowing through his dying body, he turned around and saw no one in his eyes.In the huge mansion, Cao Shuang and Ding Yang are discussing fiercely about the matter of defeating Shu.This young man in charge of the government, after promoting a group of flamboyant men, is eager to use the flesh and blood of the soldiers to achieve popularity and achievements comparable to his ancestors.

He cheered up and stared at Cao Shuang for a long time, but he couldn't figure out why there was such a big difference since they were both members of the Cao family.

In the first month of the tenth year of Zhengshi, the night before he went to Gaoping Mausoleum with the emperor, he had a dream.It was still the Jian'an period of the great Han Dynasty, in the Wei Palace in Yecheng, the gray-haired general stepped on the path set by fate, step by step, towards the old man who had been with him for half his life.

In his dream, he heard the neighing of the fierce horse, the beeping of drums and horns, and the long song of heroes.

"Follow the filial piety, put on armor for the lonely."